Door-operating mechanism



Av c. FARR 1,753,083

DOOR orsaza'rxue MECHANISM Filed Dec. 30, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Apfi 1,1930.

April 1, 1930. A. c. FARR 1,753,083

DOOR OPERATING MECHANI SM Filed Dec. 30, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Azftarnqy Inventor April 1, 1930; A c, FA R 1,753,083 DObR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 30,1927 5 Sheets-Sheet s Inventor Alfred a. Farr wawdw I Attorney Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE I if ALFRED c. FARR, or UPLAND, INDIANA, assieivon or ONE-FOURTH motive-sneer rnonuo'rs, INCORPORATED, or rumors, INDIANA, a 'conrona'rroiv or INDIANA DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM Application filed December 30, 1927. Serial No. 243,662.

1 My invention relates to door operating d vices and has for its object to provide a sectional door adapted for upward swinging movement into a folded position and ar 5 ranged for actuation by either a manual operable lever or a crank lever operable through contact with the wheels of a vehicle.

By providing an optional mode ofoperation for the device, the same is equally well adapted for use in connection with warehouse doors or the like by utilizing the manual operable lever or with respect to garage doors vehicle wheel engaging the crank lever.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, efficient and reliable in performance, in which the partsrequired for the door are reduced to a minimum, thereby enabling the manufacture at a relatively low cost and which is otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is, intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the special construction and combination of the various elements comprising the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein:

Figure l'is a 'ront elevationalview of a door equipped with my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevational View showing the connection provided for the'hand operated lever,

Figure 3 is a similar view of the guide roller mounted at the lower edge of the door, I

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the rock shaft with its lever arranged at the top of the door,

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the door, I

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper edge of the door showing one of the brackets provided for attaching the rock shaft thereto, 7

' Figure 7 is a sectional view of the door taken along a line 7--7 of-Figure 1, a

Figure 8 is a fragmentary detail of one of the door rollers, Figure 9is aview in elevation showing the vehicle wheel operating in connection .with l the door when used as a garage door and Figure 10 is. a perspective view of the vehiclewheel crank lever.

Referring to the drawingsin detail, my invention comprisesa door composed of upper and lower sections 5 and 6 respectively hingedly connected with each other permitting upward swingingmovement thereof enabling the sections of the, door to be folded into-a horizontal position above'the doorway as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 5. arranged for automatic operation upon the The door is supported upon a rock shaft 7 secured along theupper edge of the upper section 5 of the door by brackets 8, the end of the shaft 7 maybe journaled for rotation at the opposite-side of the door frame 5, I

The inner surface of the vertical side memhere 10 of-thedoor frame is provided with verticallyextending grooves 11 constituting a guideway for the roller 12 mounted at each side adjacent the lower edge of the lower doorsection 6. p 1

7 One end of therockshaft? is provided with a bell crank 13 having one arm thereof connected to;a vertically extending link 14, the lower end of whichis attached to one end of a pivotally mounted manually operable lever 15. The oppositearm of the bell crank -13 is, attached to the upper end of a vertically disposed rod 16, the lower end of said rodbeing attached to a coil spring 17 secured to a stationary part of the door frame adjacent the lower end thereof. Between the rods 16 Y and spring 17 is also interposed a turn buckle 18prov'iding, for the proper tensional adjustment between the spring and the rod.

Atthe end of the rock shaft 7 opposite from the bellcrank 13 is mounted a lever 19 disposed in the same-relative position with respect to the rock shaft as the arm of the bell crank to which the rod 16 is attached,

.Thelever 19, forms a connection with the 'upper'en'd, of a rod 20 of an identical construction as the rod 16 and also having a spring 21 and turn buckle 22 arranged at itslower end for attachement to a permanent part of the door frame. a I U As will be observed from an inspection of Figure 2 of the drawing the bell crank 13 is arranged with its arm to which the rod 16 is attached adapted to swing over the center of the rock shaft 7 during the movement of the sections of the door into their upper positions by the actuation of the bell crank to the operation of the lever 15. By arranging the bell crank in this manner the springs '17 at the opposite sides of the door are capable of exerting sufficient force upon the bell crank to prevent the lowering ofthe sections of the doorthrough the weight thereof. In order to form a positive connection between the rock shaft 7 and the upper section 50f the door, a bolt 23 is inserted transversely through the rock shaft with its end extending through the bracket 8 provided for attaching the rock shaft to the door.

In'Fig'ures 9 and 10 of the drawing I have illustrated a connection adapted for actuation through-engagement with the wheels of a vehicle for operating the rock shaft so as to cause the raising or lowering of the door. This form of the invention comprises the use of -a vertically disposed link -24 having its upper end attached to one of the arms of the bell crank and with its lower end attached to an arm of the bell crank 25 pivotally mounted adjacent the lower end of the door frame. The opposite arm of the bell crank 25 is attached to 'one end of a horizontally =clisposed=operating rod--26 eXt-endin-goutwardly in a direction in front of the door with its outer end attached to a lever 27 formed on one end of a crank rod 28. The rod 28 is disposed transversely across the driveway in front of the door and on which is formed a pair of offsets 29 in the form of cranks, said offsets being disposed on the crank rod substantially at right angles to each other. Thus when one of the offsets is arranged in a vertically extending position,

-o'f the drawing and identified by the numeral 30, and upon "such engagement the force of the wheel will operate 'to push the nifset into a horizontal position thereby operating the lever 27 and through the rod 26 "to operate the bell cranks 1-3 and 25 so as to cause the raising or lowering of the section of the door, as the 'case may be, depending upon the direction in which the vehicle is moving.

A manually operable connection may also be provided in conjunction with the vehicle wheel operating connection, such manual operatingmeanscomprising'a lever 31 pivotally mounted to the door frame and to which a link32 is attached forming a connection with the arms of the bell crank 13 *to which the link 24 of the vehicle operating connection is also attached. In this "construction a coil spring 33 may 'be substituted for the red 1-6, turn buckle 18 and spring 17 as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings for engagement with the opposite arm of the bell crank 13 so as to secure the section of the door in upward folding position.

It is obvious that the invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and I accordingly"claimallsuch forms of the device to which I 'am entitled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new'is:

1-. Ina device of the class described comprising a vertically suspended door mounted for'upward swinging movement, a rock shaft journal'ed to-ars'uppor ting structure at the'opposite side edges of the door and fixedly secured to the upper edge of the door, a bell crank carried at one end of said rock shaft, 1

an operating lever operatively connected to one of the arms of the bell crank and means -connected with the opposite arm of said bell crank for securing the door in uppermost position.

I 2. In a door operatingdevice of the class described comprising a door composed of hingedly connected upper and lower sections adapted for upwardly swinging movement into a horizontal position, a rock shaft secured to the upper edge of the door having its end j ournaled for rotation in the opposite side of the door frame, a bell 'crank formed at one end of said rocks'haf-t, an operating lever-operatively connected to oneof the arms of-said bell crank andad'apted through its actua tionto cause the rotation of the rock shaft whereby to raise the sections of the door, a rod attached to the opposite =ar1n-0f said bell crank and a yieldable connection for said rod adapted to respond-to the movement of the .bell crank during the upward swinging move ment of the door and to releasably secure the bell crank against operative movement when the door isdisposed inuppermostposition.

described comprising a door composed of lnngedly connected upper and lower sections adapted for upward swlngln'g movement lnto a horizontal ,position, .a frame for the door having vertically disposed guides formed therein, rollers mounted at the lower edge of the lower section 'of the door arranged for vertical movement in said guide, a rock shaft attached to the upper edge of the door with its ends journaled for rotation in said door frame, a bell crank carried at one end ofthe rock shaft with its arm disposed 'inupwardly oppositely inclined position, operable means for said rock shaft comprising ama-nual'operable lever pivotall-y mounted adjacent the lower edge'ofithe door, a "link connecting said lever to the outwardly inclined arm of said bell crank, vehicle operating means for said rock shaftnomprisinga cranklever disposed 7 3. In a door operating device of the class transversely with respect to the path of the vehicle and arranged for actuation by contact with the wheels thereof, rods connecting said crank lever with the outwardly extending arm of the bell crank, and a rod attached to the opposite arm of the bell crank having a yieldable connection with a stationary part of the frame and adapted to retain the door in its upward position.

4. A door operating device of the class described comprising a vertically suspended door mounted for upward swinging. movement, a rock shaft attached to the upper edge of the door and extending transversely of the door opening with its ends journalled in a supporting structure at the sides of the door, a bell crank carried at one end of said rock shaft, manually operable and vehicle engageable operating means for said rock shaft arranged for the selective actuation thereof and attached to one of the arms of the bell crank, said last named arm of the bell crank being normally inclined upwardly at one side of the vertical plane of the rock shaft when the door is closed and adapted to be moved to a position at the opposite side of the vertical plane of the rock shaft when the door is opened, and yieldable means attached to said last named arm and operable to yieldably retain the door in either position.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

ALFRED C. FARR. 

